Double-platen manifolding machine



L. E. LENTZ BO UB L E PLATEN MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet l L, E. LENTZ DOUBLE PLATEN MANIFOLDING MACHINE Fil ed Dec. 31, 1.925 6 Sheets-Sheet g JUL-e77 /0/ Laurence [Ward 62222.

II... E. LEN 1TH DOUBLE PLATEN MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 3l, 1.925 6 Sheds-Sheet 4 gwvamto m Laure/764 i Edward M Fatented Aug. 7, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FISHER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DOUBLE-PLATEN MANIFOLDING MACHINE.

Application filed December 31, 1925. Serial No. 78,692.

This invention relates to billing machines of the flat platen type and its object, generally stated, is providing for what is known as double billing, by which is meant billing of distinct classes as to items billed or work sheets or elements handled.

To the accomplishment of this general object, the invention resides in providing in a machine of this character a plurality of complete billing equipments in connection with a single recording mechanism arranged to record or bill in connection with both equipments or sets so that a machine which is single as to everything except the mechanism for supporting and handling the work sheets may be used for different classes of billing without the necessity for rearranging the equipment to accommodate the particular class of billing to be done. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a billing machine constructed in accordance with my invention, portions of the stand being broken away.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the platen plane equipped with a plurality of platens and a line space frame which supports the writing carriage in position to record in connection with either platen.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the adjacent ed es of the platens and the intermediate car on holders.

Figure 4: is a similar view showing one side of the platen frame and a portion of one of the platens.

Figure 5 is a sectional view showin construction and mounting of one 0% carbon holders.

Figure 6 is a transverse section of one side or rail of the platen frame.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the front end of the platen frame and the platens arranged therein, the platen operating mechanism of one of the platens being shown and that of the other platen being omitted since these two -mcchanisms are merely duplicated.

Figure 8 is a plan view of my double platen equipped for two diiferenttypes of billing.

Figure 9 is a similar view showing the platen frame equipped with transverse carhon associated with different sets of work the the

elementsof different widths associated with different platens.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings 1 indicates a stand on which is supported a platen frame 2 surmounted by a line space frame 3 which travels back and forth longitudinally of the frame 2 and in turn supports the carriage 4t equippedwith the usual printing or recording mechanism movable transversely of the platen frame. This general organization is that of the Elliott-Fisher billing machine of commerce which is a combined typewriting and calculating machine of the flat platen type.

It will be noted that the carriage 4 and the recording mechanism moves in one direction with the line space frame 3 to line space the record and moves in another or transverse direction on said frame to letter space the record as it is printed.

The platen frame 2 comprises side members 5 and 6, a sectional central member 7 between the front and rear sections of which extends a transverse frame member 8 the ends of which are screwed or otherwise secured to the side members. A pair of transverse front members 10 and 11 preferably in the form of castings extend between the side and middle members of the frame to which they are rigidly bolted. This arrangement of the frame members provides a pair of platen openings in the front of the frame to accommodate a pair of depressible platens 12 and 13. These platens are, as usual, flat in form and have a rubber'or other suitable upper surface 14. When the platens 12 and 13 are elevated, they are located in the writing plane and in contact with front and rear platen clamps 15 and 16, the clamps 16 being adjustably carried by the transverse frame member 8, as indicated in Figure 7 and overlying the platen at its rear edge as indicated in Figure 2.

The two platens are independently supported and operated, that is to say raised and lowered to engage and release the work by a platen supporting and operating inech anism identical with that described in copending application Serial No. 33,797, filed ried b I Similarly a single transverse shaft 19 extends from side to side of the frame 1. and constitutes a support for the separate treadles 20 and 21 by means of which the platens are respectively operated.

Briefly the platen supporting and operating mechanism may be described as follows:

A pair of lugs 22 extend rearwardly from each of the front bars 10 and 11 of the frame and receive in somewhat enlarged openings pins 23 dropped from the platen adjacent to its front edge and encircled by springs 24 which tend to hold the platen down upon the lugs, but permit slight movement of the platen at its front end, which is occasioned by the dropping of the rear end of the platen away from the rear platen clamps.

The front platen clamps 15 are carried by angular arms l5 loosely mounted upon the transverse shaft .17. The clamps 15 are held depressed by springs 15 secured to the platen -frame and to short arms 15 fixed to the arms 15. Coacting with the upper edge of each front bar 10or 11 is a form cutter andclamp 25 extended across the front edge of the platen and carried by swinging arms 27 mounted on the shaft 17 and integral with rearwardly extended arms 28 with which are rigidly associated depending arms'29 provided for the attachment of platen retracting springs 30. The springs 30 are connected at their rear ends to platen elevating levers 31 of bell crank form carthe shaft 18 located below the rear end 0 the platen. Platen supporting rollers 33 are carried by the levers 31 to engage in support the rear end of the platen in elevated position against the rear platen clamps.

Mounted to swing from the shaft 18 and having a connection 34, with the arms 28,

are a pair of levers 35 connected intermediate of their ends by a transverse bar 36 on which is pivoted a bail 37 having its front ends extended under the shaft 17. The front end of the bail37 is connected as by a chain 38 to a treadle 20 or 21, mounted in the pedestal 2. It will now be seen that asthe operator depresses the treadle the bail 37 will be pulled down, withthe shaft 17 acting as a fulcrum and the bar 36 serving to apply power to the arms 35 for the purpose of depressing the latter, swinging the arms 28, and causing the form clamp and cutter 25 to be elevated as the arms 27 are swung upward to a position sufficiently elevated to permit the operator to grasp the frontfends of the work strips preparatory to drawing the same forward. The front clamps 15 are released by swinging the arms 15 to elevate the clamps from the platen. For this purpose pins 15 on the arms 15 are engaged by latches 41 on the arms 27 after predetermined movement thereof.

After a predetermined movement of the knife has been effected, the latches 41 will engage the pins 15 and continued movement of the arm 27 will cause the arms 15 and the front clamps 15 to be elevated against the resistance of the springs 15. The provision of pivoted latches 41 makes it possible, if desired, to avoid the release of one of the clamps 15 while the other erating position, the latch will not engage,

the arm 15, but will pass on and leave the clamp in its depressed position as the knife continues to rise and carries with it the clamp 20 at the other side of the platen. The release of the rear clamps 16 is effected by the depression of the platen. To attain this end, links 42 are dropped from the platen and engage pins 43, extended inwardly from the arms 35. Normally the pins 43 are located in the upper ends of the links so that during the initial downward movement of the bail 37 to elevate the form clamp and cutter to the position shown in Figure 5, the pins 43 will idly transverse the links 42 and will reach the limit of their idle movement as the latches 41 are carried into contact with the arms 15. Therefore, after the clamp and cutter has been partially elevated, continued depression of the treadle 21, for instance, will cause the release of both the front and rear platen clamps by raising the front clamps from the platen and by depressing the platen from the rear clamps.

When the paper is drawn forward, gauge fingers 44 extend over the edges thereof and guide the operator in drawing the paper forward to the exact extent to insure the severing of the forms with exactness when the knife 25 has been dropped and the forms are out along the cutting edge 26 thereof.

Beyond the opposite sides of the platen frame, carbon rolls 47 and 48 are mounted on removable carbon roll shafts 49, rotatthe paper webs a, and those portions of the carbon webs extending between the platen and the rolls are led through longitudinal openings, or carbon throats 61, in the side bars of the platen frame, and over carbon guides 62 secured to the side frame members and extending at an upward angle from the bottoms of the openings 61 to the writing plane where they are rounded as indicated at 63, to guide the carbon smoothly at the points where the plane of the carbon changes from the horizontal to the oblique in its passage from the platen to the spools.

The set-up shown in Figure 9, is designed for what is known as the super-fold paper strips. This is merely two series of paper webs folded back and forth as a unit in a box or receptacle and led over theplatens from guide rollers 68 mounted in each side section of the platen frame. The webs or strips of paper, as they come from the box will be somewhat creased along the lines of the transverse folds and when transverse carbons are employed in interdeaved relation to the paper, a web smoothing and separating de- Vice 67 is mounted in rear of each platen to break down the folds in the paper and to separate the webs just before the rear edge of the carbon is reached. I

In Figure 8 of the drawings my double barrel platen, so-called, is shown with setups which are divided from each other and form the set-ups shown in Figure 9. These two set-ups are what are known as floating carbon equipments intended for use in connection with strips folded back and forth upon longitudinal folds which prevent the use of a transverse carbon and require that the carbon shall float within the folds of the strip. These equipments are individually similar to equipments described in my pending application before identified and need -not be specifically described in this applica tion, except to direct attention to the fact that either equipment may be employed at either side of the platen frame so that setups of different characteristics may be em ployed in connection with the separate platens and the single recording mechanism.

It is sometimes desirable to dispense with the continuous feed of a single set of transverse carbons serving both platens and to take" for each platen" one or more carbon webs from the adjacent carbon roll. In this event, of course, the end of thecarbon must be held securely in a'manner to permit its release when the operator desires to draw no carbon from the roll to displace the used and perhaps mutilated carbon area. I, therefore, mount upon the upper edge ofv the central frame bar 7 a channeled plate 69 within which are two longitudinally disposed carbon clamps 7 0 in the form of spring metal strips hinged. at their rear ends as indicated at'71 within a slot 72 in the bar 7. These carbon clamps are brought down upon the plate 69 to securely clamp the carbon and their front ends are retained by sliding car bon latches 73 mounted on the bar 69 with their rear ends'disposed to overlap the front ends of the clamps. It is to be noted that the upturned side edges of the plate 69 aid in the retention of the carbon which is creased over these edges or flanges when the clamps are brought down to grip the carbon against the platen 69.

It will be seen that I have produced a machine characterized by a single recording mechanism cooperating with separate sets of work elements of the same or difierent character that overlie separate independently operated platens associated with paper supporting and guiding equipments of the same or different character. It will also be noted that provision is made for the use in connection with both platens of a single carbon equipment or a plurality of independent carbon equipments as may be required to accommodate a variety of different classes of work.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described the combination with a plurality of platens, of a single recording mechanismcooperating with said platens, carbon rolls located beyond the outer sides of the platens, and carbon clamping means located intermediate of the platens.

2. The combination with a platen frame having side and middle members, of separate platens mounted at opposite sides of the middle member and separated thereby, and carbon retaining means carried by the middle frame member.

3. The combination with a platen frame of' a pair of flat platens mounted therein and a plurality of carbon retaining devices located between the platens.

4. In a machine of the character described the combination with a pair of separately and independently depressible platens of carbon retaining means intermediate of the platens and a single recording mechanism cooperating with both platens.

5. The combination with a platen frame including sidebars and a middle bar of separate platens mounted in the frame at opposite sides of the middle bar, carbon rolls mounted on the side bars of the frame and a plurality of carbon clamps mounted on the middle bar of said frame.

6. The combination with a platen frame including side and middle bars of platens mounted at opposite sides of the middle bar, a channel plate carried by the middle bar and a carbon clamp coacting with the plate.

-7. In a machine of the class described a carbon retaining device including a ehannel plate, a pair of carbon clamps therein and latches for said clamps.

low

'8. In a machine of the class described a carbon retaining device including a channel plate, a pair of resilient clamping strips each hinged at one end and movable latches carried by the plate to engage and hold the free ends of the clamping strips.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a plurality of flat platens, of a single recording mechanism cooperating with said platens, and carbon clamping means located intermediate the platens.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combinaton with a plurality of platens,'of a single recording mechanism cooperating with said platens, carbon retaining means located beyond the outer sides of the platens, and carbon clamping means located intermediate the platens.

11. The combination with a platen frame including sidebars and a middle bar, of

separate platens mounted in the frame at opposite sides of the middle bar, carbon retaining means mounted on the side bars of the frame, and a plurality of carbon clamps mounted on the middle bar of said frame.

12. In a machine of the, class described,

' a carbon retaining device including a channeled plate, and a pair of carbon clamps coacting with opposite edges of the plate cupy a common plane, carbon retaining means located beyond the outer sides of the platens for retaining carbon positioned over the platens, and carbon clamps intermediate adjacent platens and ofi'set from said plane for drawing the carbon from said plane and tensioning it over said platens.

14. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a plurality of platens within the frame, carbon supplying means located at one side of the frame, carbon feeding means at the opposite side of the frame for feeding carbon from said supplying means across said platens, and carbon clamping means intermediate said platens.

15. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a plurality of flat platens, of a single recording mechanism cooperating with said platens, and carbon retaining means located intermediate the platens.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

L. EDWARD LENTZ. 

